Start
Sep 24, 2018 - 17:00
End
Sep 24, 2018 - 18:00
Venue
Room 118 Chemical Engg Dept
Event Type
Speaker
Dr. Manjesh Kumar Cummins India
Title
Zeolite Synthesis and Architecture: Molecular Control during the Transient Stage of Nucleation and Crystal Growth
Abstract: There is growing need of novel and advanced functional materials to meet the increased demand of energy (petro)chemical feedstocks and better healthcare. Concerted efforts are required to develop innovative pathways of materials syntheses which are facile and economically viable. However efficient design approach calls for the detailed understanding of transient phenomenon such as nucleation and crystal growth under realistic conditions. To this end I worked on developing a rational design platform for zeolite synthesis by probing the growth dynamics at crystal surfaces. Synergistic use of ex-situ and in-situ spectroscopy and microscopy techniques helped resolve the non-classical phenomenon of particle incorporation to crystallite and their transformation. For the first time we established the liquid-like nature of amorphous precursors using state-of-the-art in-situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). These observations led to the development of the boundary map of growth regimes (classical and non-classical mechanism) by varying physicochemical conditions of growth solutions which has long been elusive. Time-elapsed mechanistic understanding was used to establish the heuristics for tuning crystal architecture where we used organic growth modifiers to modulate crystal habits from needle-shaped to disc-shaped particles. Additionally we were able to control the surface topology by varying the organic components of modifiers at sub-nanoscale. Uniqueness of this approach lies in the ability to deterministically control the catalyst size by 3 orders of magnitude for relevant applications. Eventually these modified catalysts were used to establish their higher efficacy for industrially potent catalysis. Collectively these studies seek to establish the structure-property-performance matrix for functional materials including but not limited to aluminosilicates metals metal oxides and biominerals. Our work bridged few knowledge gaps in zeolite crystallization but still leaves several unanswered questions and scope of innovation.Bio: Dr. Kumar is currently working as a catalyst engineer in automotive industry. It is an extension to my research work during my Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellowship at University of Houston. My studies were focused on zeolite synthesis and characterization. During my stint as a graduate student I received awards at AIChE (Travel Grant) and NACS (KOKES awards) conference. I had an opportunity to present my work at Gordon conference (GRC) as well. These studies culminated into the development of novel synthesis pathways which led to one granted and one provisional patent. Collectively my research work resulted in 7 publications (excluding 2 planned submissions). Prior to that I worked for 3 years in Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd as a production and project manager. I was awarded the certificate of appreciation for two consecutive years for overhead cost saving and green-field project management. Initial foundation of research and innovation was instilled during my undergraduate years at IIT Kanpur where I was also awarded the merit of academic excellence for the year 2005-06.